Ortho Tri-Cyclen (Triquilar) 21 pills

1. What is Ortho Tri Cyclen?
2. Dosage and administration
3. Side effects
4. Interactions
5. Contraindications
6. Pregnancy and breastfeeding
7. Special instructions

What is Ortho-Tri-Cyclen?

Ortho Tri-Cyclen (ethinyl estradiol, norgestimate) is an oral contraceptive that contains estrogen and progestin. This drug is a combined oral contraceptive, the effect of which is determined by the central and peripheral mechanisms. Suppressing the release of gonadotropins, the drug prevents the maturation of eggs in the ovaries and ovulation. This medication is also used to treat acne vulgaris in women aged 15 years old and above. This preparation can be used for the treatment of acne vulgaris only if the woman desires to take a contraceptive to prevent pregnancy.

Dosage and administration

Take 1 tablet every day for 21 days, then make a six-day break. The interval between doses of the drug should not exceed 36 hours.

These contraceptive tablets are most effective if taken at the same time of day, for example, in the morning.

If you miss the usual time of admission, the tablet should be taken immediately. The deviation from the usual intake time up to 12 hours provides a reliable contraceptive effect.

The effectiveness of the drug decreases with a delay in taking the tablet for more than 12 hours. If the usual time of taking the drug is more than 12 hours or more than one pill is missed, the drug should be taken immediately. However, before the end of this cycle, additional means of protection from pregnancy, such as a condom or vaginal contraceptive suppositories, should be used. In such situations, a woman cannot rely on the method of “safe days” or “temperature” method of contraception.

Overdose

Serious cases of poisoning due to an overdose of Ortho Tri-Cyclen were not detected An overdose may cause nausea, vomiting, and vaginal bleeding.

There is no specific antidote. In case of an overdose, it is necessary to rinse the stomach (within the first hour after taking the drug) and perform symptomatic therapy.

Side effects

Common side effects after taking Ortho Tri-Cyclen are kidney disease, depression, decreased libido, decreased glucose tolerance, weight change.

• Cardiovascular system: arterial hypertension, myocardial infarction, cerebral circulation disorders, deep vein thrombosis, arterial thromboembolism, thromboembolism of pulmonary or other vessels, edema;
• Tumors: benign and malignant liver tumors, cervical and breast cancer;
• Hepatobiliary system: cholestatic jaundice, Badda-Chiari syndrome, intrahepatic cholestasis, cholelithiasis;
• Gastrointestinal tract: nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, flatulence, colitis, impaired appetite;
• Genital organs: intermenstrual bleeding, spotting bloody discharge, amenorrhea, changes in the menstrual cycle, increased uterine fibroids, vaginal candidiasis, increased cervical secretion, cervical erosion, decreased libido, premenstrual syndrome, temporary infertility after the end of the drug intake;
• Thoracic glands: soreness and sensation of tension, galactorrhea, engorgement, increase in size, reduction of lactation when taken immediately after birth;
• Skin: erythema nodosum, skin rash, chloasma, exudative erythema, acne, seborrhea, alopecia, hirsutism, pigmentation on the face, hypertrichosis, pemphigoid (gestational herpes), melasma with a tendency to persist;
• The organs of vision: cataracts, lesions of the eye nerve, changes in the curvature of the cornea, a feeling of discomfort when wearing contact lenses;
• CNS: a headache, mood changes, irritability, depression, chorea, dizziness, migraine;
• Metabolism: fluid retention, changes in body weight (decrease or increase), decreased glucose tolerance, changes in appetite;
• Kidneys: decreased kidney function, hemolytic-uremic syndrome;
• Other: kidney disease, decreased libido.

When menstrual bleeding occurs, the drug should be continued. If the bleeding does not stop, then a survey should be carried out to eliminate organic causes. Similar recommendations apply to spotting bloody discharge, which may appear irregularly during several cycles of taking the drug or for the first time after prolonged use of the drug. If after the end of the cycle of taking the drug bleeding does not occur, it is necessary to exclude the presence of pregnancy before the start of a new cycle of taking the drug.

Interactions

• Increased metabolism of steroid hormones with the simultaneous administration of St. John’s wort, barbiturates, carbamazepine, phenytoin, sulfonamides, pyrazolone derivatives, rifampicin;
• Another type of interaction is the violation of intrahepatic circulation of estrogens, as a result of which the excretion is accelerated and the concentration of ethinyl estradiol is reduced. When co-administered with certain antibiotics (eg, ampicillin or tetracycline), insufficient cleavage of conjugates of estrogens and fatty acids by intestinal bacteria is observed;
• Some protease inhibitors and some antiretroviral drugs increase (for example, indinavir) or reduce (for example, ritonavir) the concentration of ethinyl estradiol and norgestimate in the blood;
• When taking hypoglycemic medicines with Ortho Tri-Cyclen, you may need to adjust the dose of the latter.

Contraindications

• Venous thrombosis (including deep vein thrombosis, pulmonary thromboembolism).
• Arterial thrombosis, including in the history (including acute disorders of cerebral circulation, myocardial infarction, retinal arterial thrombosis) or precursors of thrombosis (including angina pectoris or transient ischemic attack);
• Presence of serious or multiple risk factors for arterial thrombosis;
• Arterial hypertension (persistent increase in blood pressure above 160/100 mm Hg);
• Diabetes mellitus with vascular lesions;
• Hereditary dyslipoproteinemia;
• Hereditary predisposition to venous or arterial thrombosis, for example, deficiency of antithrombin-lll, deficiency of protein C, deficiency of protein S, hyperhomocysteinemia, the presence of antiphospholipid antibodies (antibodies against cardiolipin, the group of antibodies against negatively charged phospholipids);
• Hypersensitivity;
• A migraine with aura;
• Thromboembolism;
• Cerebrovascular disorders;
• Breast carcinoma and endometrium, other estrogen-dependent formations;
• Liver failure;
• Hemolytic anemia;
• Benign or malignant liver tumors;
• Otosclerosis;
• Cholestatic jaundice during pregnancy, including in the anamnesis;
• Sickle-cell anemia;
• Cardiac Ischemia;
• Bleeding from the genitals of unclear etiology;
• The postmenopausal period;
• Age to 18 years;
• Postpartum period (4 weeks);
• Pregnancy and lactation

Take Ortho Tri-Cyclen with caution if you have any of the following conditions:

• Ulcerative colitis;
• Venous or arterial embolism in brothers, sisters or parents at a relatively young age;
• Long-term immobilization or extensive surgical operation;
• Risk factors for coronary heart disease, such as smoking, hyperlipidemia, hypertension or obesity;
• Arterial hypertension (persistent blood levels of 140-159 / 90-99 mm Hg);
• Mastopathy;
• Thrombophlebitis of superficial veins and varicose veins;
• Myoma of the uterus;
• Depression;
• Diseases of the liver and gallbladder;
• Epilepsy;
• Disorders of valvular heart apparatus with complications (mitral stenosis with atrial fibrillation);
• Adolescence;
• Tuberculosis;
• Crohn’s disease;
• Hypertriglyceridemia, including in family history;
• Systemic lupus erythematosus;
• Kidney diseases;
• Acute disruption of liver function during the previous pregnancy or previous use of sex hormones;
• Violations of the menstrual cycle.

Pregnancy and breastfeeding

Ortho Tri-Cyclen is contraindicated in pregnant women. Epidemiological studies have not revealed an increase in the risk of birth defects in children whose mothers before the pregnancy have taken oral contraceptives. Most modern studies have also not revealed teratogenic effects, in particular, heart abnormalities and limb shortening, in offspring of women who mistakenly took oral contraceptives during pregnancy.

Combined oral contraceptives can affect lactation, that is, reduce the amount and change the composition of breast milk. In addition, a small portion of contraceptive steroids and/or their metabolites can penetrate into breast milk. In connection with this, Ortho Tri-Cyclen is contraindicated in the period of breastfeeding.

Special instructions

• Canadian HealthCare Mall recommends to consult the gynecologist before and during taking the drug;
• These oral contraceptives do not protect against HIV infection (AIDS) and other sexually transmitted diseases;
• Before prescribing this oral contraceptive to a patient, it is recommended to collect a complete history and perform a thorough physical examination;
• Surveys should be periodically repeated in accordance with the standards of quality gynecological care;
• Efficiency decreases with the regular use of ethanol.The impact on the ability to drive vehicles and manage mechanisms is not found.